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Would ClamAV help if I'm not running an email server. From the site "Clam AntiVirus is an open source (GPL) anti-virus toolkit for UNIX, designed especially for e-mail scanning on mail gateways" ?
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Mark RobinsonMay 1 '09 at 12:31

I used to run ClamAV for mail, but it also handled regular filesystem scans perfectly happily as well.
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ZombieSheepMay 1 '09 at 12:43

Anti-virus on Linux systems really isn't required, the threats just aren't out there for it. However, if you can't get around the corporate mandate, follow Node's advice and just install ClamAV and a small cron job to do a periodic sweep of the system.

I also think Anti-virus is not really required on a Linux server, although it is best practice to have it, so you can say you do everything possible to keep things clean. There are exceptions where I would recommend an anti-virus on a linux server though.

Examples would be a mail server (you should scan attachments on your end, and incoming mail) or a file server with outside access (prevent your server hosts contaminated files).
Not really for the safety of the server, but for the safety of your end-users getting their stuff off of the server.

ClamAV is good to ensure that your MTA doesn't propagate crap all over the world. This is good practice, it helps keep Windows users safe.

As for AV software on Linux, please read this koan. I strongly advise removing your shoes prior to reading the koan. It is Zen master teaching a Linux computer user who was used to Windows .. really funny.